Marand has announced the achievement of a production milestone, successfully passing Factory Acceptance Test (FAT) for the production of the first of type Launcher Ramp System for the Kongsberg Naval Strike Missile (NSM) under Sea 1300 Phase 1 - Navy Guided Weapons.
Last year, the selection of Kongsberg’s NSM to replace the Harpoon Anti-Ship Missile capability on the Royal Australian Navy’s Anzac Class Frigates and Hobart Class Destroyers was announced.
This includes the large-scale fabrication of the Launcher Ramp Systems that are fitted to each class of ship and support the Launcher Missile Modules (LMM).
Last month, Marand welcomed visitors from Defence and representatives from both Kongsberg in Norway and Australia to their Moorabbin, Victoria, facility to complete the FAT.
They inspected the first unit and reviewed all documentation including manufacturing and test data. After the declaration of a successful FAT milestone achievement, the group witnessed a trial assembly and disassembly sequence.
“This milestone is a credit to the contribution and hard work of the Marand team, and also to the support and partnership we have built with Kongsberg. Our role on SEA 1300 provides the opportunity to demonstrate that Marand are capable and ready to contribute quickly to the equipment and capability of the Australian Defence Force (ADF)," said Rohan Stocker, Marand’s CEO.
"In the case of the launcher ramps, we have procured the materials, completed all the fabrication, welding and machining into our process to ensure the high accuracy of the critical interfaces and ultimately a successful Factory Acceptance Test. We now look forward to managing a steady drum beat of production units.”